Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 15
search journeys. At times, contact updates to the dealer can
even be daily.
Another area leveraging AI is inventory marketing. Chicagobased LotLinx says its smart machines can greatly improve a
store's financial health. They do it by drilling down to the VIN
level and matching specific vehicles to the marketing channel
that's getting the best prices and selling that model the fastest.
Dealers find that LotLinx input allows them to price much
more accurately for traffic and profit. The retailer determines
when a vehicle will sell and at what price based on clicks on its
vehicle detail page.
'DEEP LEARNING' ON INVENTORY
LotLinx is a VIN-specific, omnichannel distribution system. AI
analyzes the dealer inventory from 32,000 stores for the company's roughly 3,000 subscribers. LotLinx uses AI to do "deep
learning" on all that inventory. That AI-based review helps
sharply tune ad campaigns.
"We use machine learning to recognize patterns that signal to
the machine when a user is at the key decision-making point,"
says a statement on the LotLinx website from CEO Len Short.
Based on proprietary algorithms, LotLinx determines which of
the major channels on which to advertise, based on having the
most qualified vehicle-specific consumers for the lowest cost.
Those channels may include third-party inventory listing sites, consumer sites, or Facebook, for instance. They could also include
the use of search engine marketing or retargeting of ads that were
directed to previous website visitors but did not convert into a sale.
LotLinx says its approach enables dealers to measure their
ability to sell well and quickly against hard, well-understood metrics such as inventory turn and gross margins.
"We really make those channels compete for a dealer's
budget," said Lance Schafer, general manager of product and
technology for LotLinx.
"If a dealer has a used 2018 Ford F-150 in this market, our
AI says these are the four best publications or subchannels we
should send it to, based on predicted shopper intensity for that
vehicle. We start by looking at the vehicle. The machine then
decides where that specific model should be advertised. That
targeting is the magic." n
february 2020 * shift
15
Shift Magazine - February 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - February 2020
Shift Magazine - February 2020
FROM THE EDITOR
LETTERS
RUNNING HOT AND COLD
PUSH FOR PRIVACY
‘A TICKING TIME BOMB’
RIGHT ON TARGET
DID YOU KNOW?
THEY’VE GOT GAME
SEAMLESS SHOPPING
FOLLOW THE LEADERS
KEEPING UP WITH THE COBOTS
‘SUPERPOWER’ STARTUPS
MISFORTUNE TELLERS
FORD’S FORMULA
Q&A
WASH, RINSE, REPEAT
‘SELFHEALING’ SOFTWARE
LAST MILE
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - Intro
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - Shift Magazine - February 2020
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - Cover2
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 3
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - FROM THE EDITOR
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - LETTERS
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - RUNNING HOT AND COLD
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 7
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - PUSH FOR PRIVACY
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 9
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 10
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - ‘A TICKING TIME BOMB’
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 12
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 13
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - RIGHT ON TARGET
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 15
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - DID YOU KNOW?
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - THEY’VE GOT GAME
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - SEAMLESS SHOPPING
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - FOLLOW THE LEADERS
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - KEEPING UP WITH THE COBOTS
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 21
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - ‘SUPERPOWER’ STARTUPS
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 23
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - MISFORTUNE TELLERS
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - 25
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - FORD’S FORMULA
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - Q&A
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - WASH, RINSE, REPEAT
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - ‘SELFHEALING’ SOFTWARE
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - LAST MILE
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - Cover3
Shift Magazine - February 2020 - Cover4
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